Barstool Blues
by im-an-idjit
Summary: The one where Balthazar owns a pub, and has to deal with the everyday shenanigans of his patrons as well as his staff, for the sake of his thinning sanity.


**A/N:** Because Balthazar is one of my favourite characters and he deserves his own fic.

* * *

_January_

Balthazar spent his first day back cleaning up the horrid mess that was left after New Year's. The number of people his pub served around that time grew every year, which was terrific for profit, but a living nightmare when it came to clean up. Balthazar found at least three beer mugs and six different glasses shattered, some even embedded in his damn furniture. Patrons received their orders a little slower than usual, since Balthazar's employees still had to pick glass and wipe up alcohol from the floor now and again. If any of his guests complained, Balthazar would retort that it was their own bloody fault in the first place, wrecking the establishment after one too many drinks.

Dean Winchester, a regular, didn't show up until the fourth evening into the new year. Balthazar served him his usual beer without a word, and left him in the capable hands of Castiel, one of his barmen, who worked there part time to help his career as a journalist. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, more than aware of their longtime infatuation with each other. The two have been smitten since the first day Dean had walked in some two or three months ago, but it seemed that neither was man enough to make the first move. Which was ridiculous, because Balthazar's seen Dean get into fights with blokes thrice his size and come out on top, and Castiel had to throw out more drunks than he cared to count. Nevertheless, Balthazar wasn't going to meddle (much). The year was still young (literally, it started but four days ago), they had time.

The pub had its regular visits from Gabriel and Lucifer, Cassie's elder brothers, a pair Balthazar was very fond of. He had asked the latter if there had been any changes since he last saw him, but Lucifer snorted a laugh and shook his head. Balthazar frowned, because he really hoped the man had patched up his relationship with his eldest brother, Michael. Apparently, there had been an argument after their father went into retirement, promptly disappearing somewhere around the Bahamas, and left his company in Michael's charge. This obviously, did not sit well with Lucifer. Gabriel, having a (albeit surprisingly) smart head on his shoulders, decided to stay of it a long while ago. He had his own bakery chain now (_Angel Cakes_, it was called, if Balth's memory served correctly). Both were very fond of Castiel however, and Balthazar knew that their visits were not just because of the Birt's award-worthy beer.

All in all, it was business as usual. Balthazar was happy to see several people back despite the chaotic New Year party, during which he was positive most got alcohol poisoning. Chuck, a struggling writer, still sat in his usual spot by the window, laptop whirring as his fingers worked away on the keyboard. Ash and Garth occupied the pool table every night, and had their arses handed to them by Meg equally as often. Gordon Walker was still the same, noisy arse as he had been last year; constantly provoking Balthazar to kick him out permanently. He spotted a few new faces too; Jo and Charlie, young girls from the local university who had obviously just come of drinking age; and Benny, a friendly bloke with a heavy southern accent and a love for Bloody Marys. Not only that, there had been an addition to the staff. Samandriel, a bloke fresh out of college and still deciding on what to do with his newly achieved diploma, was hired as one of the new barmen, although he was still learning the basics from Inias.

With the ever-present easygoing atmosphere and few welcome changes, Balthazar had a feeling it was going to be a good year.

* * *

_February_

The weather was warming hesitantly, and February found Balthazar chasing Ash off the pool table when he and Garth had finally beaten Meg. Balthazar accused the brunette of turning soft, to which she replied that his beer had started going bad and ruined her coordination. After Benny, being the lovely gentleman he was, had offered to pair up with her, they knocked the other two back down a peg or two.

Samandriel finally started work, and Balthazar praised himself for making the decision of hiring him. The lad looked as if he could be blown over by a small gust of wind, but some of the tougher patrons of the pub found out just how rough the young blond could be. Balthazar had yet to see if Castiel had had any influence on him.

Valentine's Day soon arrived, and after a lot of persuasion on Anna's side, the pub celebrated the most pointless holiday in history ("You only say that because you're single and grumpy," the redhaired barmaid had reprimanded him) for the first time since it had opened. They even served some weird pink cocktails, courtesy of Anna. She had also suggested to spice up the mood a little with some Celine Dion, but Balthazar firmly put his foot down on that one. There was no way his highly esteemed pub was playing _My Heart Will Go On_ fifty times in a row, thank you very much.

Dean had come down in the evening, so Balthazar gave Castiel a spontaneous break, which the bloke spent the entirety of with said Winchester. The Brit hoped that the day of love would give them the needed push, but no such luck. Castiel returned behind the bar still single and still in love. No matter, Balth always had next year, and he promised himself he'd hire a cupid to spell it out for the idiots if he had to.

That day, he also had to throw out 14 unhappily single souls. A new record, he believed. He gave each of them the same advice; love was hidden somewhere out in the world, not at the bottom of his shot glasses.

When he returned from the bathroom stalls after tearing apart a couple that was getting overly friendly ("Sorry darlings, not in my pub. Try Alistair's bar two blocks down. I hear he's finally fixed his rat problem."), Anna got hold of the stereo and lo and behold, they were listening to that godawful song again. And the damn girl barely batted an eye when he threatened to cut her salary.

The evening didn't turn into a complete waste however. Gabriel had sent him a box of chocolates, which he happily nibbled at while he plotted about just how he was going to free his stereo from Anna's clutches.

* * *

_March_

Balthazar had the fortune of getting a surprise visit from a dear friend of his. Crowley had flown in from Scotland for business, as he always did every few months. Each time he was in the US, he came down to the pub for a visit, claiming it was the only place that reminded him exactly of home. They talked about the old motherland and Crowley's shady work while they sipped on tea Balthazar had pulled out from beneath the bar (he always kept a stash for hangovers and headaches mostly caused by Anna). Crowley didn't stay long on account of some deal he had to close with a businessman uptown. He thanked him for the drink ("No one makes tea like you do, love.") and promised to be back alive and a few quid richer in August. Balthazar was left feeling a little homesick, as he always did whenever the Scot visited.

Gordon had finally overstepped the line when he verbally attacked Inias, after the latter asked him to put his cigarette out (bastard was sitting in the nonsmoking area). Inias remained cool as a cucumber, but Gordon was making so much fuss that Castiel had to step in and help. This only made the sod angrier, and he headbutted Cas right in the nose. However, the peak of all of that was not seeing Castiel glare so intensely that it would have made the toughest wrestler shit himself, but when Dean got pissed. Balthazar had seen Dean ticked off, but this was pure rage. As much as he wanted to stand around and cheer (it really was fun watching the Winchester repeatedly smash Gordon's face into the table), he had to help Benny pull Dean off while Walker still had a nose to breathe through. It gave Balth no greater pleasure to inform Gordon he was banned for attacking one of his employees. After the arse had left, Balthazar went to check on Cas, but found that his nose was already in the care of Dean. The latter said it wasn't broken, simply bruised as he soothingly rubbed his thumb along Cas' cheek. When Balthazar offered him the rest of the day off, Castiel politely refused, but didn't say anything when Dean stayed close by him for the remainder of the evening.

They celebrated the return of spring with a few more people than usual. There was a sudden power shortage a few blocks down by the end of the month, and _The Roadhouse_, a bar down the street, was left without electricity. Ellen, the generous woman she was, brought her patrons down to the pub instead. There wasn't animosity between the two establishments. After all, Balthazar tended to serve the younger bunch of society, while _The Roadhouse_ harboured older, tough-as-nail bikers and hunters. The only thing Ellen asked of the Brit was to give them a decent spot to continue their poker game, so Balthazar cleared a corner table. Among the players were Bobby Singer (the town's mechanic), Frank Deveraux, Rufus Turner, Pamela Barnes (self-proclaimed psychic), Dean's father John and Ellen herself. Balthazar briefly joined at the second round ("Let's see if you're as clever as you think, pretty boy," Frank had challenged after Balth called out his bluff) and would have won if Bobby hadn't had them all believing his cards were shit ("I'm playin' a bunch of idjits!").

Balthazar had a talk with Lucifer when he came in. Things were not looking any better with Michael (Castiel often shared his worries about his siblings with Balthazar), and he suggested to try and fix them. Raising three brothers because of an absent father was no walk in the park, especially if two of them were of Lucifer and Gabriel's nature, he had pointed out. Lucifer grumbled under his breath, but didn't say anything. He gave a generous tip and a big hug to his little brother before he left, so Balth figured they were good for the time being.

* * *

_April_

Meg and Benny's partnership in pool was budding like the sweet flowers outside. The two were on fire. Balthazar himself played against them when he tried to help Garth and Ash out. They were very close to them, but in the end, the pair was simply too good. Instead, he opted to sit and chat with Gabriel while they watched an endless amount of unfortunate blokes get beaten by the most unlikely duo. Balthazar was glad to see Benny settling down well. He was a bloody good customer and a pleasant bloke, with plenty of entertaining stories. Dean had taken a liking to him, much to Cas' dismay, which really made Balthazar laugh because the sod basically fought for the other's honour last month, for God's sake. If that wasn't how you say 'I love you', the Winchester way, then Balth was Mickey Mouse.

Balthazar helped Jo and Charlie out with a spot of homework trouble. A small problem with some Latin text they had to translate for class. He wasn't sure how they knew he had spent seven years in a boarding school with a regime stricter than Hitler's, in which he was forced to endure endless hours of Latin class, but that didn't stop him from helping out. They finished in less than an hour. He snorted. _The Illiad_. Read the whole thing in classic Latin when he was fifteen.

A pair of Alastair's girls, Lillith and Ruby, came snooping around one night. Balthazar had no real reason to throw them out, so he had to endure their company for an hour. On several occasions, he considered spitting in their drinks, especially Lillith's, but discarded the thought because after all, he prided himself in being a gentleman. Even though the blondes in front of him were no ladies. Lillith spent most of the time glaring at the patrons (making some of them uncomfortable enough to leave, unfortunately), while Ruby made small talk with Balthazar. He would have found her charming, he really would have, if he didn't know her boss wanted him out of business. In the end, Anna chased them off after she served them some particularly strong vodka ("40 percent? I thought you said 60!"). He really never wanted to kiss her more.

Balthazar spent Easter in the ER with Samandriel on account of a cut the former got on his palm from smashing a cup while juggling. Some local anaesthetic and four stitches later, he was all but high on painkillers, smiling away at Samandriel and promising him a pay raise for being adorable (Samandriel, bless him, didn't hold him to his word). After the doctor, Tessa, Balthazar vaguely remembered the name, safely wrapped his injury away, she lectured his ear off about the dangers of playing with glass, and said that under no circumstances was he allowed to burden his hand, especially not with juggling shot glasses. Which greatly displeased Balthazar, because he was getting rather good at juggling, despite what the four stitches in his palm might say.

* * *

_May_

Balthazar had an interesting discussion about the pros and cons of Richard Roman with Anna, after the said fast-rising businessman appeared on a special one of the news channels had. Anna stated that his buying up several agricultural companies would only mean trouble for the country's health. ("I'm not falling for the guy's charms, unlike most of the female population," she informed him while she glared at the blond anchorwoman who was too busy batting her eyelashes at Mr Roman to listen to a word he was saying). The Brit agreed with her. Dick Roman had an odd glint in his eye, like he wanted to eat you. And his toothy, shark grin didn't really help his case. However, Balth tipped his hat off to whoever came up with the news slogan about the surprisingly popular sod. _The rise of Dick_.The thought still made Balthazar break into a fit of giggles an hour later.

Somewhere around the fifteenth, a bloke, looking no younger than sixteen, stumbled onto the barstool right in front of Balthazar. The Brit ignored his order ("Just give me a beer, please.") and demanded his ID. The other flushed and dropped his head with a mumbled excuse about forgetting it. Balthazar rolled his eyes ("You know how many times I've heard that one?"), but didn't send him out. Instead, he made him a strong cuppa as he asked what seemed to be the problem. The other, Kevin, Balth learnt later, looked stunned, to which Balthazar replied that even a blind man couldn't miss the sad puppy eyes. Kevin's bottom lip trembled and his eyes started watering, so Balthazar quickly refilled his mug. After a long drain, the dark haired boy explained about his finals coming up, and how he was in Advanced Placement. Balthazar, having grown up on the British system rather than the American one, tried his best to follow, offering an understanding nod and a hum when needed. He gave him a bit of advice, to go out with some friends once in a while (but not to a bar) or find a girl, just something to calm his nerves. When he made him promise to not see him back until he was of drinking age, he sent him off with a friendly jab ("You're in AP, mate. I seriously doubt your results will be catastrophic."). Balthazar pretended to miss the smile Castiel sent his way.

On Thursday, they celebrated the pub's fourth birthday. There were several drinks on the house and music that, for once, was to Balthazar's fancy. None of his staff members worked for too long. Anna chatted with Jo and Charlie, while Inias tried his luck at darts (he turned out brilliant). Samandriel took turns drinking shots with Garth as Ash cheered on (he had made a complete mess by stabbing a hole into Balth's beer cans and drinking out of it, but Balthazar let him off the hook). Balthazar himself had lots of fun sharing knowing smirks with Gabriel and Lucifer as they watched Castiel and Dean play several rounds of pool fantastically, beating almost every one of their opponents. The evening was finished off with a giant chocolate cake, courtesy of Gabriel, accompanied by a cappella version of 'Happy Birthday', sung by Lucifer and Dean, both who as it turned out, had lovely voices. At around two in the morning, Balthazar sent off several completely bladdered patrons (Ash, Garth, Meg and- surprisingly- Chuck, to name a few) home in cabs, while others like Anna and Inias were capable of driving their own cars. Castiel assured him that he'd get Lucifer and Gabriel to their apartments safely. The eldest brother slapped Balthazar's rear and insisted he loved him, to which Balthazar replied by kissing his cheek and telling him that if he still felt that way in the morning, nursing his hangover, he'd love to go to dinner with him. Cas tiredly piled his siblings into his car, making sure neither bumped their heads, like the caring brother he was. Balth suggested that Dean, not as drunk as the rest of them but still reasonably tipsy, caught a taxi too, but after the Winchester explained he had parked his Impala down the block, Benny offered to drive for him, because apparently the bloke had a liver made of iron and wasn't affected by the alcohol one bit. Balth waved him off, feeling quite cheerful from the effects of alcohol. Once he locked the door, he wrapped an arm around Samandriel's shoulders and congratulated him on his alcohol tolerance and ability to drink Garth and Ash under the table.

* * *

_June_

After Charlie told him she heard a strange, whooshing noise coming from the men's bathroom, Balthazar grabbed a mop from the closet and left to check it out. He expected a clogged toilet, and his suspicions seemed to be confirmed when he stepped into a large puddle of water outside the door, but he was in for a surprise. Once he opened the door, he found out it was not in fact a toilet, but one of the sinks. It wasn't clogged, however. Oh no. The entire handle had somehow come off, and water was literally shooting _everywhere_. Balthazar's intial thought: _Bloody hell, I'm going to need a bigger mop._

There was an attempt to stop the water, which only resulted in Balthazar getting wet to his very bones. He left the mop over the open pipe as best he could, stuffed a few towels on the sides just in case, and headed out to the phone behind the bar. Ignoring the furrowed brow he received from Castiel at the sight of his drenched clothes (he, prior to Balth's arrival, had been talking to Dean, of course) and the muttered, "I don't wanna know," from Anna, he dialed the plumber. He briefly explained the situation ("Yes, hello there. My sink's being a bit of a bother, could you pop down for a sec? No, nothing too serious. The handle's gone off is all."), and was told to sit tight and that they'd send someone over soon. Sure enough, a man arrived five minutes later with a toolbox and, Balth was relieved to see, a shiny, steel handle. The crisis was fixed without much fuss (a few gents had to use the ladies' washroom), and Balthazar was left with an indoor swimming pool and a mismatched sink handle.

Jo and Charlie were much more common appearances at the pub. School finished for them, and neither were planning to go anywhere for the holidays. Charlie helped Balthazar set up a hotspot for mobile phones, while Jo (who had experience watching her mother work in _The Roadhouse_) served as a backup barmaid on the pub's fuller evenings.

While playing darts, one of the drunker patrons accidentally hit Inias in the arm. It was a nastily deep injury, so Balthazar told Inias to go to the hospital, and he insisted to go with him and pay for expenses as it happened in his pub. They left Jo to cover for them while Anna made sure that the drunk patron was escorted away from the dart board. Upon arriving, they were greeted by the same doctor who had taken care of Balthazar's hand. Initially, Tessa thought it was Balthazar who was injured (an accusation Balth took great offence to). After Inias explained what had happened, she gave him some anaesthetic and stitched up his arm. He was given painkillers, and a small dose to take home in case his arm started working up. Once he was all set, she stayed with them until Balthazar payed the medical bill, concluding that working in a pub was a dangerous profession. Balthazar couldn't help but agree.

Dean's younger brother Sam came back from college for the summer. He was studying law in Stanford, from what Balthazar remembered. He brought his girlfriend Jessica along with him to meet his family (Dean had told him before that Sam was planning to marry her). She was a lovely girl, smart as a whip and very friendly. Dean seemed to like her; good news for Sam. The couple got on well with everyone in the pub, especially with Jo and Charlie, being around the same age. They exchanged stories from their colleges, and Charlie and Sam particularly 'geeked out', as Dean had put it, over Harry Potter. Balthazar spoke to the younger Winchester as well, mostly about sci-fi movies and novels, and about law too. He learnt that Sam would be staying in town for the whole of his summer, which was great because Balth knew Dean didn't get to see his baby brother often and missed him terribly. Sam also talked about how happy he was to finally visit the pub Dean always praised highly, and Balthazar would later deny Anna's accusations of blushing.

* * *

_July_

July, it seemed, was the month of celebrations.

The pub celebrated the 4th of July, despite the owner being British. Drinks were flying out left and right as fireworks thundered and crackled outside. Ash had climbed onto the pool table _again_ and sang (hollered, more like) the American national anthem, at least until Balthazar poked him off with a broom. There was drunken talk of freedom and various American presidents all evening, and Balthazar listened to more British-bashing jokes than he cared to count, but comforted himself by knowing that, come the Queen's birthday, the tables will have turned.

Sam continued to be a frequent visitor of the pub, coming in every now and then to play darts, drink with Dean or talk to Cas. Jessica, apparently not a big drinker, was content to spend her evenings at home with Mary, Sam and Dean's mother, although she had accompanied him every now and then. About four weeks after their arrival, they came in one evening a little later than usual. Sam acted like it was nothing and took up a seat beside Dean with Jessica in his lap. Castiel started putting together their orders when Jess stopped him and ordered champagne instead. Balth and Cas shared a raised eyebrow as Dean finally cracked and asked what the hell was going on. Jessica stared at Sam, obviously stifling giggles, then stuck out her hand and wiggled her finger.

"Holy shit." Dean blinked.

Balthazar grinned as Jess proudly showed off the glittering diamond on her hand. Without wasting much time, he congratulated the couple and pulled out a bottle of champagne.

A week later, Balthazar was caught by surprise when Chuck, a usually quiet bloke, strode up to the bar and told Samandriel to send around drinks on him. He grasped the blond's lapels and, his eyes shimmering with tears, announced that he had finally published his book ("Well, it's not published _per se_, I found someone who's willing to do it. It'll be ready for the public in a few months," he had explained shakily). In no time, everyone was drunk and people were chanting Chuck's name. Balthazar allowed his staff to take it easy. As Cas left to Dean, Balthazar sat with Anna at the bar while Inias and Samandriel stood in front of them, tending to drinks every now and then when needed. They talked about possibly remodelling the place a little, painting a new layer over the chairs, maybe getting a new pool table. Balthazar countered that if they ever had the money to remodel, the first thing that had to go was the bloody mismatched sink handle.

The biggest surprise, however, happened somewhere by the end of the month. On the last Tuesday, Gabriel and Lucifer came in with a man unknown to Balthazar. He guessed it was a friend, but the look on Castiel's face told him different. Balthazar's favourite mischief-makers sat in front of him and introduced Michael, who's birthday it was. Balthazar served them drinks and started chatting with the eldest brother in attempt to get a feel of him. In many aspects, he was similar to Castiel. Same black hair and light eyes, and an intimidatingly serious attitude. Once he relaxed however, he was a reasonably pleasant bloke. As Castiel took over Michael's attention, Balthazar caught Gabriel's eye. He lightly cocked his head at the eldest with a raised eyebrow, then did the same to Lucifer. Gabriel rolled his eyes but smiled fondly, and mouthed, "We're gonna be OK." Which, Balthazar reasoned as they left a few hours later, was all that mattered.

* * *

_August_

Somewhere at the start of the month, Balthazar came down with a cold. Which in itself was ridiculous, because no one got colds in the summer. Nevertheless, he was bedridden, sniffling and sneezing under a pile of used tissues.

It hadn't started out like that. He was fine one moment, sending Dean a beer bottle down the length of the bar, and the next, his eyes were watering and head ringing. Anna found him hunched over on a chair, fingers restlessly dragging through his hair. He had assured her everything was all right ("Don't worry about me, love. Just a bit of a headache is all."), but she waved him off and kissed his forehead to check his temperature. In return, he irritably grumbled something about taking him to dinner first. Anna dragged him to his feet and sent him off promising to take good care of the pub.

So Balthazar spent five days stuck in his house, with Samandriel and Castiel taking turns to check up on him, making sure he was eating. Meanwhile, Anna kept him updated on what was going on in the pub. There was definitely something in the air, because Benny had caught the same thing the next day, and Charlie three days later. Meg, who was now blonde, had to go back to playing solo for a little (although that didn't improve her opponents' chances of winning), but other than that, business had stayed the same. Ash had only climbed the pool table once, which was an improvement. Dean and Cas were still (obliviously) all over each other. Gabriel and Lucifer also stole Anna's cell phone one day and sent lots of kisses to the ill Brit.

Around the same time Balthazar finally came back from the dead, Sam and Jess went back to California. Dean wasn't too happy about it, but Balthazar had a feeling Cas would be able to help him forget about it. Crowley came back to town a day after the couple left. Lucifer, who had been in that evening, didn't seem too fond of him, but Gabriel had taken an instant liking to the Scot. Balthazar was more than happy to let the younger brother take over for him while he spoke to Lucifer. He didn't start with the topic of Michael immediately, but Gabriel had been right. Things were going better than before. Michael had had a change of heart and offered to share their father's company with Lucifer as co-owner. The other hadn't decided yet, but Balthazar was almost certain he'd agree in the end. Gabriel had often spoken about how inseparable Michael and Lucifer had been as children. Balthazar was happy to see that things were falling into place. He was even happier when he had received more good news. On the following evening, as the two Brits shared a bottle of Balthazar's oldest gin, Crowley admitted he had been considering moving to the US permanently. Business was evidently good for him, even better in America than in the UK. Balthazar welcomed him with open arms, offering to give him a place to stay if he needed one (even though, in hindsight, he probably didn't).

The mood seemed to dampen slightly by the end of the month though. School would be starting again soon for the college students, and Balthazar thanked his lucky stars he wasn't a student anymore. He'd had enough studying for a lifetime, thank you very much. Charlie and Jo often brought some of their notes to the pub for a bit of light revising before September arrived, so Balthazar usually kept his quietest corner table free for the two. His staff gave a free drink to the students every now and then, all knowing full well the blows that college makes to a person's wallet. On the 31st, Anna made sure none of the younger patrons got too drunk, stating that a hangover on the first day only spelt trouble. As the evening came to an end, Balthazar could feel their pain, and almost dreaded the following day himself.

* * *

_September_

If you asked Balthazar, Castiel and Dean really chose the most boring month to finally confess their 'undying love' to each other, as Anna had called it ("Shut up, you know it's true," she insisted when Balthazar had laughed in her face). No one had to tell him really, because Balth was a smart bloke. He knew it the moment Dean walked through the door that evening. Castiel had all but blushed when the Winchester sent him that lopsided grin of his, and he immediately pulled out his regular beer. They spoke in whispers, smiled at one another too much. Tell-tale signs, really. Balthazar definitely knew it even before Dean leaned over the counter and planted one on Cas. (All right, the kiss may have caught him offguard, but at least he had been more subtle than Anna, who gasped, "Oh my God, it finally happened.").

But as he had said, September was boring. Nothing ever happened in September. School started for many (and Balth knew how it was with teachers, always piling a load of work on the very first day), so the pub was much quieter in the evenings. The weather was at that stage where it wasn't sure whether it was summer or fall, so it settled for constant switches between both. The clashing sunshine and rain made Balth's head hurt, and he kept an Aspirin nearby at all times.

Tessa, the doctor, visited one evening. She claimed she wanted to check up on them, see if anyone was getting into any trouble. Balthazar told her that he doubted it, unless Ash scaled the table again, then he'd have a fractured skull as well at the Brit's broom up his arse. She was pleasant to talk to, and Balthazar found it refreshing to be speaking to a single woman who wasn't a) working for him, b) still in college or c) engaged (alternatively, there would also be d) not his type, if Balthazar had a type to begin with). He could practically see the gear moving in Anna's mind, probably already plotting their setup. Balthazar took no notice. If it was to happen, it would happen. He preferred to go with the flow.

He was hit by another cold not long after. If he thought the first was bad, then this was the apocalypse. Sore throat, rocketing temperatures, cough fits, coupled with overactive sinuses and the general feel-like-shite attitude. He was chained to his bedroom again, his day only comprising of watching crap telly, eating chicken soup and blowing his nose. Gabriel texted him with randoms thoughts and questions, and they'd stay chatting until Balthazar passed out. Castiel would find him drooling into his pillow a few hours later. This time it was only Cas who visited him because Samandriel had fallen ill too, along with half of the pub's patrons, according to Cas. Which wasn't as bad as it sounded, since it was only Anna, Inias and him working at the moment, and Jo couldn't come and help out because she had school now. In the end, Inias got sick too, but Balthazar was feeling well enough to come back to work. Anna wasn't convinced, and Balth knew she was keeping an eye on him when his back was turned. Nevertheless, he celebrated his return with Gabriel and Lucifer (officially co-owner of his father's company as of last Wednesday), and a few well-deserved beers.

* * *

_October_

The weather finally cooled properly, and the city was suddenly in shades of red and orange. The pub had gotten a new, albeit temporary member. Anna had brought in a pumpkin one morning that looked more like a steroid-filled body builder than a garden vegetable. She claimed her aunt had given it to her, and that it would add to the pub's charm in the autumn months. Balthazar disliked the bloody thing, but couldn't find anything to say that would change Anna's mind as she placed the ghastly, orange vegetable on the windowsill beside Chuck. Balthazar contemplated about paying Chuck to accidentally knock it over, or have Ash pelt one of the pool balls at it (although judging by its size, the damn thing probably wouldn't even dent). Eventually, he decided against it as he didn't want to face Anna's wrath if any harm befell her beloved pumpkin.

Castiel and Dean were now attached at the hip, even more so than before (which Balthazar honestly didn't think was possible). Balthazar never had to tell Cas off however, because the bloke still did his job properly and jumped to his aid whenever needed. What amused Balth to no end was the way the two could stop their conversation when Castiel was needed elsewhere, then pick up where they had left off the second he returned. Dean had also started staying at the pub longer than usual. Until ten thirty, to be exact. Which was also the time Castiel got off his shift. At 22:30 precisely, Cas would go to gather his things, and Dean would wait at the bar until the other returned. After a brief good bye directed at Balthazar, they'd leave (according to Gabe, Dean was walking Castiel home every evening), the Winchester's arm safely wrapped around Cas' waist. Honestly, it was as if nothing changed, except that now every time Balth looked, they'd be snogging over the bar counter.

But along with their new relationship came Gabriel and Lucifer's merciless teasing; jabs and innuendos galore. Knowing Gabriel and Lucifer for quite some time now, Balthazar was rather certain this was their way of welcoming Dean to the family, however groan-inducing and ridiculous their methods were.

As Halloween edged closer, Anna pestered Balthazar about dressing up for the holiday. Despite his 'Grinchiness', as she called it ("You think I'm bad now? Try me at Christmas, love."), the ever-rebellious redhead still wore a black witch's hat, put up a small, plastic skull on each table, and carved a scary face (Chuck had actually jumped of fright when he noticed it) into the pumpkin. This made Balthazar extremely pleased, because it meant they'd be able to throw it away the following day. On the evening of the 31st, Balthazar was caught off-guard when a quartet consisting of a pirate, a vampire, a fairy and Princess Leia waddled into the pub. Balth was wiping glasses behind the bar when he spotted the four heads barely peeking over the counter top. He nearly dropped the glass in his hand at the sight of the seven-year-olds. They jumped with glee, cheering a chant of, "We scared you!" repeatedly. When he had asked what in God's name they were doing in the pub, they answered in unison,

"Trick or treat, duh."

Luckily, Anna had swooped in to save the day. She handed each of them a packet of Tic Tacs ("You kidding me? I have a bunch of these stashed behind the counter," she told Balthazar after they had left). Besides that, the day was celebrated no differently than any other day in the pub, with the exception of Garth and Ash pulling the blue-and-white checkered table cloths over their heads and yelling, "Boo!" at everyone who came within five feet of them, a sad attempt, if you asked Balthazar. He still wasn't sure if they were even drunk at the time.

* * *

_November_

The next time Crowley came to visit, it was as a legal citizen of America. They celebrated with a 18-year-old bottle of scotch he had brought from home. Crowley now lived in a penthouse in some nicer part of town, although he was still sorting out the container he had brought along with him. Nevertheless, he invited Balthazar to come over sometime for a cup of some tea he had bought in London. Balthazar was never one to turn down a drink (especially when it was English tea), so they arranged a meetup on Friday.

Chuck's book was finally published sometime in the following week. He bought two rounds of drinks for everyone, and gave Balthazar a signed copy of his new novel. Some sort of supernatural thriller, Balthazar hadn't gotten around to reading it yet. According to Chuck, that was only the first part. He was planning to make it into a series. Balthazar was glad, really. He knew how many months the bloke spent sitting around by the window, head in hands and laptop whirring away in front of his nose.

Business had dropped slightly around the end of the month. Balthazar was aware that his younger customers were coming closer to their finals again. He knew full well that a pub was not the most suited place for studying, especially with Ash's constant hollering from on top of the pool table (Balthazar swore he was going to break it one day). Inias, Samandriel, Anna and Castiel had more free time on their hands as less customers needed attention. The three hung around with their boss mostly (Cas was off with Dean), making plans for future shift arrangements for next year. Despite the current situation, the pub's popularity was increasing rapidly, and Balth's staff needed to take on longer hours (and with that, larger pay, the lucky ducks). The Brit contemplated whether or not he would need more staff members next year. Inias said he would take care of recruitment if it would come to it, which Balthazar greatly appreciated. The running joke about remodelling was more of a possibility now, so they concluded to maybe take a few weeks off after New Year's to redecorate the place. Balth smiled. The place could do with a new set of curtains.

* * *

_December_

On the second Saturday, the pub welcomed back Jo and Charlie, who were done with their finals. Christmas break still hadn't started for them, but it would be smooth sailing from then on. The girls sat at the bar for a little while and chatted with Balthazar. He brought them up to speed on what they had missed (not that there was much), and they told him how school had been treating them. Jo was in a good enough mood to single-handedly challenge Ash and Garth to a game of pool (she won, of course), while Charlie and Balthazar debated the pros and cons of the original _Star Wars _and the prequel. Charlie preferred the prequel ("Come on, Natalie Portman!"), but Balthazar disagreed ("I've always been more of a Princess Leia bloke myself.")

Inias and Samandriel hauled in a Christmas tree under Anna's orders a week before Christmas. Balthazar was never one for partaking in the holiday cheer (he was usually stuck at boarding school at Christmastime), but even he had to admit, Anna's work was lovely. She didn't stick to a color code when it came to the tree, she just put on anything and everything; baubles of different shape, colour and pattern, several mismatched garlands, white fairylights, reindeer ornaments, candycanes (Balthazar had taken one when she wasn't looking). At the very top, instead of a star, she placed a small angel, with small, white wings and a golden halo. But she didn't stop at the tree. There was fake frost sprayed over the window panes, more garlands were draped all around, the Halloween pumpkin was replaced with a felt snowman, and mistletoe hung from the most inconspicuous places. Not a day passed that someone didn't get caught under it. First, it was Charlie and one girl named Glinda, then Ash and Meg (Ash was punched in the face however), and then Balthazar and Lucifer. Balthazar pinched Luci's cheek and said, "Merry Christmas, darling," before pecking him lightly. The other slapped his rear before Balth returned to the bar.

Not long after them were Dean and Cas, who didn't mind since all they ever did was snog each other senseless. Cas had been picking up a few glasses from a table when Jo pointed it out. Dean, who was sitting three feet away on his barstool (the two had been discussing if Cas would spend Christmas with Dean or his siblings), took the tray out of Cas' hands, placed it on the bar and pulled him closer by his apron. There were cat-calls and whistling from the nearby patrons (and tongue, courtesy of the Winchester), and it carried on until Balthazar pointed out it was mistletoe, not 'Seven Minutes in Heaven'.

Christmas Eve was celebrated more vividly and colourfully than 4th of July. Eggnogg and mulled wine sold faster than anything Balthazar had ever served and people sang carols (and mismatched several of the lyrics). Sam and Jessica had come back for the holidays, and Balth found out there was now a date for the wedding: June 15th. Dean told him that the three of them would go down to John and Mary's house tonight (Sam would be the designated driver), and that Cas would come three days later so he could spend time with his brothers. The festivities went on well into the following morning, and Balthazar had to throw out most of the drunk patrons as the pub was closed on Christmas. The Brit said good bye to Anna, Inias and Samandriel, who were all going to spend their Christmas with family (Cas had gone a few hours ago, he was driving with Lucifer and Gabriel to their father's mansion outside of town, where Michael would be waiting for them). Crowley stayed with the blond as he locked up and offered to spend Christmas at his penthouse. Balthazar, not having any relatives on this side of the pond, accepted. They spent the rest of the day in Crowley's gigantic living room, chatting away, each nursing a glass of brandy.

Balthazar suffered severe déjà vu when the night of the 31st came around. The TV could barely be heard over the noisy crowd. Balthazar could see the festivities on Times Square, but in all honesty, it was nothing compared to what he was dealing with in here. They were all but out of alcohol, everyone was bladdered and wishing each other a happy New Year too early, and Ash was on the bloody pool table again, his shirt swinging over his head. Finally, Anna hollered for everyone to stick a sock into it as the countdown came closer. Everyone stared at the TV screen, watching the camrea adjust on the ball. Then:

_Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!_

Champagne bottles and confetti exploded all over the pub as several people started kissing. Balthazar spotted Meg pecking Benny on his bearded cheek, Charlie dipping Glinda into a kiss, and of course, Dean and Cas snogging in one of the few, still-standing chairs. Balthazar felt a poke in his shoulder and turned around to see Anna. They wished each other a happy New Year, then Anna kissed the tip of his nose ("Since Tessa isn't here," she had teased). Balthazar shrugged. There was always next year.

Around four in the morning, people started clearing out. Balthazar and his staff (plus Dean, since he was waiting for Cas) half-heartedly attempted to clean up a bit, so there wasn't so much left for when they came back from their breaks. In the end, Balth shooed them all home, but Castiel and Dean opted to stick around until he locked up. The Brit smiled tiredly at the pair before he took the glass-filled, black rubbish bag and dumped it in the containers outside. When he came back, he found Cas sitting on the edge of the pool table with Dean standing between his legs, the two too busy exchanging spit to notice him. Balthazar reminded them it wasn't midnight anymore, but it was no use. He sighed. He almost liked it better when they were oblivious to their shenanigans. Almost.


End file.
